4. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight's proposed agenda: additions: status of current CTGP website and Deletions: of treasurer's reports of: October, November, December and January and treasurer's 3rd and 4th quarter reports to CT Secretary of State's office: due to lack of presence of the treasurer: Judy Herkimer, or her representative or information forwarded to the remaining CTGP officers or the SCC body. Also delete Women's Caucus report due to lack of any representative at this meeting; budget suggestions.

Mike DeRosa: I have sent numerous e-mails to Judy about getting together for EC and SCC meetings. But she has not responded.

7. (5 minutes): Current website: has 2002 CTGP candidates on it and a candidate who withdraw this year.

Limited number of SCC minutes (most current: 9-05) and only two (2) EC minutes are on website ( 3-03 and 4-03). CTGP needs this website updated on a regular basis due to periodic events, meetings and to prepare for state wide slate of candidates. Also need a responsible webmaster due to potential donations to our website when we run candidates for state wide CT offices. Ralph Ferrucci to contact our webmaster: Aaron Gustafson, to re-discuss with him, SCC concerns and CTGP needs and need for improvement. Discuss if he is still interested in remaining webmaster and/or if any webmaster assistance is needed. Noted: Aaron has stated in the past, a interest in remaining CTGP webmaster and that he and Kelly McCarthy will be focusing on the Hamden Chapter of the Green Party. Aaron and Kelly resigned as CTGP

Co-chairpersons in 11-05. Per Daniel Sumrall: Aaron at last New Haven Chapter meeting stated the he and Kelly did not feel like they were getting anything done or being effective as co-chairpersons so they were going to pull back and focus on the Hamden Chapter and will remain Greens.

When was the last EC meeting that Judy attended? Barbara: 11-21-05 and some time just before then. Will Judy pay bills such as for the convention? Mike suggested that an email be sent to her requesting clarification about convention concerns of Internal Elections Committee and SCC. Has Judy paid Chris Reilly as this SCC authorized months ago? Mike: Chris Reilly said he has been in contact with Judy. Judy stated an awareness that money has been authorized for him but that his money will not forthcoming at this time. It is unclear why an officer of this CTGP has not followed the directives of this SCC body. Last reports provided by Judy: November report. Mike: Judy has also sent the 3rd and 4th quarter reports to office of Secretary of State. So she has fulfilled her obligations to do those. If she did not do so, she could personally be fined $50.00. Can we get someone else to be treasurer? Barbara: we discussed at the 1st EC meeting and another one, Barbara's perceived need for a deputy treasurer for those times when the treasurer is unreachable, on vacation or unfortunately incapacitated. Judy declined to appoint a deputy treasurer. Do our bylaws allow SCC to appoint deputy treasurer? Mike: not at this time but CT state law allows the treasurer to appoint a deputy treasurer, if the treasurer so desires. The treasurer has stated she does not desire.

Reports:

1. (5 minutes, each for): Chapter reports:

Central: Vic Lancia: to have Dr. John H. Clark discuss 5000 year history of Africa on 2-13-06 at the Salon; chapter Wants to do something like this periodically.

New Haven: Ralph Ferrucci: wants to speak to any unions as a candidate for U.S. Senate. He hopes to pay for campaign Manager and campaign treasurer. Ralph suggested that perhaps CTGP candidates could speak at each upcoming SCC meeting. This would enhance better knowledge about each other.

Greater Hartford: Mike DeRosa: will be having a fundraising gathering at the home of Steve Fournier: Date to be'

Determined. Clash Collective is still keeping the office open for its lending library. Greens are still developing a food buying group. It may be seasonal or year round with orders placed on (Greater Hartford Chapter's) website. Aim is to get 100 people to participate. Anyone interested: contact us. Mike suggests someone run for CT Senate District #1, as the line is open.

Mike will be running for Secretary of the State.

New London: ****Chris Nelson: In November election, ran 2 Greens with 19 candidates for the City Council. The Greens beat 2 Republicans and just missed winning by 120 or 200 votes. Two (2) of our 3 candidates were endorsed by the

New London Day newspaper and the Board of Education, local public workers and one of the candidates was endorsed by The police. Will have a 2-06 forum which presumably will be about: development, drug war, energy and charter revision. We continue with cable TV program every Thursday and we're working on updating our website.

New Haven: Daniel Sumrall: had a speaker discuss the proposed new Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital and gained better understanding of community issues. We continue to doe letters to the editor. Plan electoral retreat on 2-4-06 so we can plan for the 2006 election and for the 20007 alderman elections. We are drafting policies re: parking regulations in the city. We hope the development of these will help develop Green policies and so candidates can use them. New Haven chapter has endorsed the Lawyers Guide's Freedom of Information proposal to be discussed today. Will be having a public policy meetings about: Economic development and immigration and fishing. Hope to have them by middle or end of summer. Place and dates: to be determined, perhaps New Haven Public Library before the end of 2-06. Cliff Thornton visited a chapter meeting. The New Haven Independent Paper gave him good coverage. Also had coverage in the Hartford Courant and New Haven register. It also coincided with the New Haven Advocate article about CTGP concerns about the recent passage of “CT campaign finance reform” Plan to meet every Tuesday at the local coffee house: Booktrader, corner of Chapel and York to discuss Ralph's campaign. We will post our meetings on the listserv.

Northeast: Jean deSmet: chapter is working with the Peace and Justice group to do vigil at Wal-Mart, every month.

Also had good response from students at QVVC (college) with campuses in Willimantic and Danielson.

Fairfield: David Bedell: Cliff Thornton spoke to 20-30 people on 1-12-06 after press releases and faxes were sent out.

One reporter from the Bridgeport News was there and it was taped for public access in Bridgeport. We are interested in Swapping/trading tapes between chapters who participate in public access programs. However, we are aware of lack of uniformity regarding types of tapes used, length of tapes, etc. We are willing to put them on our CTGP website.

U.S. Green Party report by CTGP representatives: Tim McKee: different Greens in nation will be available to respond to the President's State of Union address: e.g. John Batista will address the single payer health insurance.

National Party is still voting/discussing/counting results of last election for national officers from last summer's convention. They're still counting the votes/how to count the vote. The specific IRV process has not been finalized. Have discussed the national presidential election bylaws; work shops; proposals, business of the party and candidates. Michael Berg, a strong anti-war candidate and the father of a beheaded hostage in Iraq is running. Some women may be running in CA.

National Party will have a national meeting in June 2006 in AZ. The party is discussing how to decide the formula for the number of delegates to the convention: it is difficult to require registration as a Green as some states do not allow voters to register. As a Green, do the states with higher populations and Greens have more say then the states with smaller populations and Greens? How many active chapters? How many candidates have you run? Won? Convention will also do bylaws

V.O.T.E.R. report from Mike DeRosa re: 1-06 meeting with CT ACLU/Common Cause/ CCAG: the new “campaign finance reform” regulation (CFR). Major parties and minor parties have 3 things in common: a) get on the ballot. b) candidates must get the endorsement of their party and c) collect a large number of small donations to get state campaign monies. The minor parties must additionally get 20% of voters who voted in the last election for the office in question to sign a petition. Each signature must be verified by town clerk. This is not required of major party candidates.

Example: if a million people voted for governor in the last election, then the minor parties, each, must get 200,000 verified signatures. (Since about 20 to 100% of signatures are not verified by the registrars of voters (because voters think they are registered but may not be and other throw offs) this would mean getting 250,000 to 400,000 signatures. If all these conditions are met, then a minor party could get full campaign funding. Getting 10% of signatures would get you partial funding. Full funding levels are $25,000 for CT house race, $85,000 for CT Senate race, $3,000,000 for Governor's race. Historically in CT: that amount of signatures has never been gathered.

Therefore, it appears that this petitioning requirement may be unconstitutional as it appears to be designed to keep minor parties off the ballot and without access to state campaign funds. (A violation of 14th amendment Equal Protection Clause.) The two (2) states that have campaign finance, Arizona and Maine, do not have the petition requirements. When MA had CFR law, it did not require petitioning, Talk at the legislature and from the governor's office is they will change petitioning requirement in some way.

CCAG,s, Tom Swan: stated at recent meeting that the petitioning requirements were “reasonable”. He offered as an alternative: increasing the petitioning requirement to get on ballot. Roger Vann from the CT ACLU is committed to represent CTGP's concerns. Whether or not we wish to utilize them, is another matter. ACLU is also helping protect the free speech rights of lobbyists. Brennan Institute is helping the State of CT about this so cannot work with us. Mike has also spoken with other law firms across the country. Last SCC meeting: we do not want petitioning at all.

Another provision: if a minor party candidate raises the same amount of money as the major party candidate, the major party PAC's (or leadership PAC's of major parties) of CT can give unlimited money to the major party candidate. This goes against the typical goal of campaign finance reform of putting caps on campaign expenders.

CT's campaign finance regulation is designed so that if one part of the bill is found unconstitutional then the

Whole section of the bill is unconstitutional. This may be an attempt to hide in the bill unconstitutional Trojan horses that will be used to destroy the clean election fund and blame the destruction of the CEF on minor parties who are trying to defend their constitutional rights to be treated equally and fairly.

2. Internal Elections committee for CTGP officers: Jean deSmet: place: to be determined; date of CTGP convention is likely to be 3-25-06 due to anti-war rallies across the state on Saturday, 3-18-06. Jean was asking for names of Greens whom might be most knowledgeable about the process of nominating candidates and putting on the CTGP conventions. Ralph mentioned David Bedell and David Agusto. Need ballot designer. Need updated mailing list from each chapter.

Will mail ballots to, hopefully by 3-1-06, to all regular CTGP members and all members of CTGP chapters as allowed by CTGP bylaws. No candidates have come forth so far.

Motion: to allow up to $3500.00 for mailing of the ballots with candidates “biographies”, fund raising request. No blocking concerns and motion carried.

Need a committee to run our CTGP convention.

3. Potential CTGP candidates: Nancy Burton: was 2002 CTGP candidate for CT representative from Redding CT. About 6000 to 7000 residents in Redding. David Bedell, was my campaign manager then and asked Nancy if she would be interested in running for Attorney General in 2006.

My background: 20 years as an attorney, public interest law, especially in environmental law. Most recently: trying to close Millstone power stations. Helped organize a citizens group: CT Coalition Against Millstone which has helped educate and done legal actions. Just today, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission rejected our request to re-open the new licensing proceedings. We have been able to demonstrate the high levels of strontium90 in cow milk. We are gathering information about cancer deaths for women and children are the highest in the state and sharing this data with representatives.. We have taken the milk and the cow to the meet the governor and Attorney General Blumenthal, with television coverage.

I believe: a) that in any democracy, no candidate should be unopposed e.g. Mr. Blumenthal; b) having worked closely with Mr. Blumenthal, he is vulnerable because he has not taken the positions to protect citizens. c) these concerns have to do with ethics in government: are representatives ethically protecting/do right for their constituents? This is our (CTGP) issue. d) I am opposed to the death penalty. Mr. Blumenthal, I felt was somewhat overzealous in promoting the death penalty for (the late) Mr. Ross. No one has challenged Mr. Blumenthal or raised this issue.

Barbara: You currently cannot practice law in the state of CT. How are your going to address this during your campaign for attorney general? Nancy: I will again be able to practice law after 11-21-06. I have practiced law in what I believe to be conservative way i.e. I held to the law. Examples of challenges to violations of the law: women's right's, environmental

Issues and Millstone. While working against Millstone, I represented an indigent, Black person whom was, in my opinion, treated badly. I was able to get him out of jail. I do pro bono work. I still am able to practice law in the state of New York.

I met with Mr. Blumenthal about getting Millstone shut down as it was a public nuisance.

When I ran in 2002, I found people, willing to look at the Green Party as another place to vote. I ran with the slogan of: Clean air, clean water and clean government. If we had more time, we can get more popular.

Jean deSmet: at our convention we will be endorsing candidates for state wide slate. You

Proposal I.

Presenter: Greater Hartford Chapter.

Contact: Mike DeRosa,

Subject: Freedom of Information request about the CT Green Party.

Background and Purpose: Ascertain possible gathering of information about the CT Green Party by U.S. government agencies. Sponsored by the CT chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

Proposal: The Greater Hartford chapter of the CT Green Party proposes that the Green Party of CT fully participate in a Freedom of Information (F.O.I.) request being sponsored by the CT chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. This F.O.I. application will request from appropriate U. S. government agencies, any and all information about any gathering of information or intelligence on Green Party of CT activities, candidates, or other relevant information related to the ongoing activities, meetings and campaigns of members of the Green Party of CT and its local chapters.

No financial commitments, at this time. No blocking concerns. Approved by consensus.

*****Addendum: corrections from Chris Nelson, New London chapter:

New London: Chris Nelson reported. In the November election, three Greens ran for municipal office, two for New London City Council, one for the Board of Education. The two City Council candidates finished 10th and 13th in a field of 19 candidates, falling 133 and 225 votes short of election. Both candidates finished ahead of all but one of the Republican slate. The Board of Education candidate finished 8th in a field of 13, missing election by just 50 votes. One City Council candidate and one Board of Education candidate were endorsed by the New London Day. Both City Council candidates were endorsed by the public works union, one was endorsed by the police union as well. We will have a 2/26 forum on the following issues: development, drug war, energy and charter revision. We will continue with our cable TV program every Thursday and have updated our website.